account for (someone or something)

phrasal verb

accounted for (someone or something); accounting for (someone or something); accounts for (someone or something)

1

: to show what happened to (someone or something) : know where (something or someone) is

We have to account for the time we spend on each activity.

The government couldn't account for millions of dollars of the taxpayers' money.

Is everyone accounted for?

2

: to destroy or kill (someone or something)

Enemy fighters have accounted for most of our bombers, Sir.

3

chiefly British : to defeat or beat (someone or something)

We accounted for the challengers 3–2.

Examples of account for (someone or something) in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Top 10 Center Fielders Ranking the top 10 catchers in MLB must account for not only a player's hitting prowess and defensive ability, but their ability to communicate with pitchers, develop a game plan, and improvise when the plan doesn't work. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025

Votes by players account for 25 percent, with the final piece of the pie coming from the media. —Jason Jones, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025

Food systems, just like the energy and transport sectors, account for 33% of global emissions. —Simi Thambi​, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025

Federal dollars account for about 10% or less of school funding. —Angie Nga Le, The Conversation, 10 Jan. 2025